Valved liquid ejector capable of emitting intermittent spurts



July 4, 967

J. R. MONTGOMERY VALVED LIQUID EJECTOR CAPABLE OF EMITTING INTERMITTENT SPURTS Filed OCC. 19, 1965 m ///W a H,

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INVENTOR.

United States Patent O 3,329,347 VALVED LIQUID EJECTOR CAPABLE F EMITTING INTERll/IITTENT SPURTS .lohn R. Montgomery, Trumbull, Conn., assignor to Vitramon, Incorporated, Monroe, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 497,958 7 Claims. (Cl. 239-583) This invention relates to liquid dispensing valved ejectors differing for instance from constant feed, lubricating cups and the like which automatically furnish a continuous supply of lubricant to a machine as fast as consumption of the lubricant takes place, and differing from ejectors which spray liquids from a nozzle constructed to aerate or diffuse a dispensed liquid through multiple orifices in the form of a spray.

In contrast to such ejector performance the present improvements aim to provide a valve equipped nozzle capable of dispensing in rapidly repeated intermittent spurts exact controllable amounts of liquid in undiffused form such as a concentrated, sharply defined and accurately ldirected jet of solid or continuous stream of liquid which can be trained exclusively on a small specific point in a machine part that is to be lubricated, for example, the link pivots in a traveling chain.

Another object of the invention is to effect instant and dripless delivery of a liquid in undiffused form having the aforesaid characteristics without permitting, between the intermittent extruded spurts thereof, any outward oozing of the pressurized liquid that is being dispensed.

A further object is to speed the outflow of undiffused liquid in each spurt by progressive decrease in the cross sectional size of a single discharge passageway extending from the control valve to an outlet orifice, thus to produce on a single undivided stream of the solid liquid being ejected the speeding-up effect on fluid flow that occurs in approaching the constricted throat of a Venturi tube.

These and other objects of the invention will appear in greater particular from the following description of an ejector having a valved dispensing nozzle embodying the invention which description has reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a lubricant dispensing ejector embodying the invention with its casing removed to expose internal parts.

FIG. 2 is a view taken in section on the planes 2-2-2 in FIG. l, looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the casing in place.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of portions of the valve stem, valve seat, and discharge orifice shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a modified construction of a removable discharge nozzle.

It has been proposed to provide needle valves in discharge nozzles for the controlled delivery of a supply of a liquid, but the valves and nozzles heretofore proposed have not been constructed in a way to deliver accurately measured concentrated spurts of solid liquid in undiffused condition intermittently and in rapid succession without permitting any dripping or oozing of the dispensed liquid between spurts. It has been discovered that the herein disclosed combination of valve and nozzle parts will effect the desired result.

In the drawings the foundation body 12 of the ejector valve comprises a block preferably 4of aluminum having a vertical bore 13 extending therethrough and enlarged by a counterbore 14 at its top end while internally screw threaded at 15 at its bottom end to receive the externally threaded shank 16 of a removable nozzle 17 preferably of a suitable metal. When nozzle 17 is inserted in bore Patented July 4, 1967 ice 13, pressure chamber 19 is formed whose top end is covered by a partition ring 20 which may be made of rigid plastic material and removably nested in the counterbore 14 and having a central hole 21 to permit the passage therethrough of a valve stem 22. All clearance space between partition ring 20 and valve stem 22, as well as between ring 20 and the valve body 12, is sealed against upward escape of pressurized fluid from chamber 19 by O- rings 23 and 24, respectively. These O-rings together with the partition ring 20 are positively held downward -by a hollow plug 25 removable from counterbore 14 and permitting free sliding of the valve stem 22 therethrough.

A lateral inlet for pressurized liquid to chamber 19 is afforded by a horizontal bore 30 which has an internally threaded counterbore 31 receptive to a tubular connector 32 through which a conduit 33 extends and protrudes into bore 30. A tapered connector sleeve 34 encompasses conduit 33 and in a conventional way makes fluid-tight the joint between conduit 313, connector 32 and the body block 12, so that the liquid to lbe dispensed can be fed to chamber 19 under pressure and maintained constantly under pressure in this chamber at all points above the nozzle 17.

While the valve stem 22 could be lifted and lowered manually for opening and closing the ejector control valve it is herein shown to be thus operable by the upward pull of a solenoid 38 upon a paramagnetic hollow armature 39 fixed by pin 37 to a mid portion of valve stem 22. Raising of armature 39 is constantly opposed by a spring wire compression coil 40 that is free for action within the hollow of armature 39 and is normally held down by the bottom end of a screwdriver-slotted thrust member 41 having screw threaded engagement with the top frame plate 42 in the superstructure of the valve. Thrust member 41 is located in vertically adjusted position by a nut 43, which clamps the casing 44 downward against the top of frame plate 42, and can act as a stop to limit the valve opening upward movement of valve stem 22 thereby serving as one means to predetermine selectively the maximum rate of flow of liquid past the valve seat 55.

The superstructure of the ejector, of which frame plate 42 is a part, includes a bottom frame plate 48 spaced below and held rigid with the top frame plate 42 by frame posts 49 held to the frame plates by screws 50i. Thus when the bottom frame plate 48 is securely but removably attached to the valve body 12 by bolts 51 as shown in FIG- URE 2, the insulative spool 52 of solenoid 38 is fixed between frame plates 42 and 48. Frame plate 48 is held centered with the ejector body 12 by fitting onto a rabbet formed in the top end of plug 25. Thus the body of the ejector with its contained parts, as well as the superimposed parts'that mount the solenoid 38, can be separated at will for repair or replacement.

The aforementioned casing 44 has its side wall equipped with a grommet 45 giving entrance to the interior of the casing for an electric cable 46 whose individual insulated conductors 47 have suitable connection (not shown) to terminals of the electric winding of solenoid 38.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 3 the nozzle 16 has a downward tapering cavity 56 whose lower end forms a valve seat at 55 and is sufiiciently smaller in compass than stem 22 so that the tapering tip end of the stem cornpletely shuts off any escape of the pressurized liquid down- -ward past valve seat 55. Below the valve seat a single duct described Characteristics of the improved nozzle may be embodied in a variety of sizes and relative proportions of passageway between valve seat 55 and the outlet end of orice 58, it has been found successful in dispensing oily lubricants having a viscosity index of, say 144 (ASTM D-567-54) to make the passageway portions 57 and 58 have diameters in about a two-to-one ratio. The taper of the frusto conical cavity 56 in nozzle 17 may be about twice that ot the taper of the pointed portion of valve stem 22. The relative lengths of the passageway 57, 58 may be such that the upper or larger portion may be twice as long as the lower or smaller portion. One or both of these passageway portions may taper in cross sectional size as they approach the outlet end of the passageway as is characteristic of the upstream side of a Venturi tube having a constricted throat.

In operation the chamber 19 is maintained full of the pressurized liquid that is to be dispensed, and the valve 22 is normally maintained in seating engagement with the nozzle 17 at the bottom of the tapered cavity 56. Upon electrically energizing solenoid 38, if desired from a remotely controlled source of current in cable 46, the valve 22 is yanked upward to a predetermined limit of lift and the desired concentrated spurt of solid liquid lubricant will instantly be delivered to an exact predetermined spot on parts to be lubricated, such as the link pivots in a moving chain. The periodicity of such spurts can be synchronized with the arrival of each link pivot in the path Yof the spurt of liquid being ejected. The amount of liquid delivered in each spurt will be affected by the length of time the solenoid remains energized and by the maximum extent of opening movement of the valve stem and by the pressure under which the liquid is maintained in chamber 19. Valve 22 will be instantly and completely closed by spring 40 the moment that solenoid 38 is deenergized and no dripping nor oozing will occur between intermittent spurts even when rapidly repeated.

FIG. 4 shows a modified construction of nozzle 17 that may be substituted for nozzle 17. The similarity of parts 55', 57 and `58 to correspondingly numbered parts in FIGS. 2 and 3 will be apparent from the drawing. However, the nozzle 17 incorporates a mounting head 16 that is insertable in a plain bore in the valve body 12 and held therein by a top ange that may be secured by an adhesive or other suitable means to the valve body so as to be replaceable by nozzles providing different sizes of outlet passageway.

Various departures from any measurements recited herein can be made within the denitions of the invention recited in the appended claims and are intended to be covered thereby.

What is claimed is:

1. In a liquid ejector including a valved dripless'nozzle for delivering `a single continuous stream of liquid in concentrated intermittent spurts, the combination comprising, a chamber having closure walls adapted to confine a pressurized liquid, a nozzle in a wall of ysaid chamber containing a progressively decreasing continuous passageway affording outlet for liquid to be ejected from said chamber, and a valve member movable to and from seating engagement with said nozzle at a point within said passageway, said passageway having a liquid receptive end communicating with said chamber inward of said point of valve seating engagement and having a liquid delivering orice portion leading outward Iof said nozzle from said point of valve seating engagement said valve member movement substantially independent of `the pressurized liquid, said orifice portion of said passageway decreasing progressively in cross sectional size inthe direction of outflow of said liquid and being of suiicient length automatically to speed up substantially the flow of liquid passing therethrough.

Z. In a liquid ejector as described in claim 1, the combination defined in said claim, in which a portion of the said passageway tapers conically from the said liquid receptive end thereof to the said point of valve seating engagement, and the said valve member comprises a lengthwise reciprocative stem having a pointed end movable to and from said point of seating engagement with the said nozzle and tapering in the same direction as the taper of said passageway at a substantially smaller angle than the latter.

'3. In a liquid ejector as described in claim 2, the cornbination defined in said claim, in which the length of the said tapering portion of the said passageway exceeds the diameter of the said liquid receptive end thereof, and the length of the said pointed end of the said valve stem exceeds the maximum diameter of said stem within said tapering passageway portion.

4. In a liquid ejector as described in claim 1, the combination dened in said claim, in which the said orice portion of the said passageway includes at least two axially aligned end-to-end sections comprising in down stream direction a relatively large duct leading to a relatively smaller outlet from the said nozzle.

5. A valved liquid ejector comprising the combination of la valve body having a straight bore extending fully therethrough forming in lpart a chamber for storing pressurized liquid, a superstructure removably mounted on said valve body, a solenoid carried by and removable from said superstructure, a lengthwise reciprocative pointed valve member magnetically responsive to said solenoid, slide bearings in both said body and superstructure arranged to guide the sliding movements of said Valve member, a nozzle held removably in said valve body containing a valve seat exposed to said chamber contactable by the pointed end of said valve member containing a liquid discharge passageway of progressively decreasing size leading -outward of said nozzle from said seat and said valve member movement may exceed the magnetic circuit gap length.

6. A valved liquid ejector as defined in claim 5, in which one of the said slide bearings for the said valve member is adjustably mounted on and projects outward accessibly from the said superstructure and has an inner stop end located in the path of valve opening reciprocative movement of said valve member.

7. A valved liquid ejector as dened in claim 6, in which the said superstructure comprises a head plate and a base plate rigidly and separably connected by spacer posts, said solenoid being lodged between said plates and surrounding the said one of the said slide bearings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,754,740 4/ 1930 Clarkson 239-585 1,999,221 4/ 1935 Walker et al 239-585 2,473,667 `6/ 1949 Warner 239-526 3,219,279 11/1965 Peeps 239-583 FOREIGN PATENTS `1,282,158 12/1961 France.

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

R. S. STROBEL, VAN C. WILKS, Assistant Examiners. 

1.IN A LIQUID EJECTOR INCLUDING A VALVED DRIPLESS NOZZLE FOR DELIVERING A SINGLE CONTINUOUS STREAM OF LIQUID IN CONCENTRATED INTERMITTENT SPURTS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A CHAMBER HAVING CLOSURE WALLS ADAPTED TO CONFINE A PRESSURIZED LIQUID, A NOZZLE IN A WALL OF SAID CHAMBER CONTAINING A PROGRESSIVELY DECREASING CONTINUOUS PASSAGEWAY AFFORDING OUTLET FOR LIQUID TO BE EJECTED FROM SAID CHAMBER, AND A VALVE MEMBER MOVABLE TO AND FROM SEATING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID NOZZLE AT A POINT WITHIN SAID PASSAGEWAY, SAID PASSAGEWAY HAVING A LIQUID RECEPTIVE END COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER INWARD OF SAID POINT OF VALVE SEATING ENGAGEMENT AND HAVING A LIQUID DELIVERING ORIFICE PORTION LEADING OUTWARD OF SAID NOZZLE FROM SAID POINT OF 